Election 2013: Reedy, Ryan face off in race for Snohomish County Council

The My Neighborhood News Network will be preparing local voters for the Aug. 6 primary election and Nov. 5 general election with reports from now through fall. Here is another of those reports.

Although Mountlake Terrace resident Dave Gossett is not able to run for re-election to his current Snohomish County Council position due to term-limit rules, the District 4 post could again be occupied by a MLT resident following fall elections. But candidate Robert Reedy will have to fend off a challenge by former Mill Creek Mayor Terry Ryan in the Nov. 5 general election to keep the seat filled with by someone from the city.

Gossett is ending his third term on the county council this year and is not allowed to run for a fourth term; Snohomish County is one of only two jurisdictions in the state that Gossett knows of with term limit restrictions to its officials.

“I enjoyed it a great deal and now looking at other options for a few years until retirement,” Gossett said of his past 12 years and the upcoming few. “Depending on what I do I may be around Mountlake Terrace more.”

So with Gossett on his way out, Reedy and Ryan each hope to take over the post. For Reedy it will be a return to an election process that he has had only limited success in. Reedy challenged State Rep. Ruth Kagi for the 32nd District Position 2 seat in 2012; he won a spot on the general election ballot by beating one other candidate in August, but lost to Kagi in the general election last November.

Reedy, an agent with JACO Environmental, has also lost bids in another state legislative race and in Mountlake Terrace City Council runs over the past few years.But he is not concerned with past results as he looks forward to this fall.

“This is an open seat, so to compare this to the past is like comparing the Super Bowl to the World Series,” Reedy said. “The outcome of this is anyone’s guess.”
Reedy will be attempting a run at the county council seat with little money in comparison to Ryan, who, according to state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) figures, has already collected more than $38,000 in his political fund. Ryan political signs are already appearing around the district, and more are expected to be erected before the election is over. Reedy has collected no money according to PDC.

“The voters may have a big upset in mind,” Reedy stated. “Office holders are answerable to the public, or they can leave office straight away, not to the big money people who couldn’t care less about the citizens.”

In contrast, Ryan has had a long success in winning political races, serving 17 years on the Mill Creek City Council, the last eight as Mayor before he resigned in September, 2012. He is a commercial real estate broker at Kidder Mathews; he was unable to be reached for this article.

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